Job fears as waste piles up in the west Highlands
FISH farming is adding to problems of waste and rubbish building up in some of the most scenic parts of the west Highlands – and having a detrimental effect upon jobs as fishermen lose grounds, according to those living in the area.
Noel Hawkins is a former fisherman and marine conservationist living in a protected area in Wester Ross.
He said: “The Wester Ross Marine Protected Area was set up to protect rare seabed animals and habitats. This meant that some fishermen had to lose fishing ground, which they did reluctantly.
“Now they see proposals for a new fish farm inside the MPA at Horse Island, which will harm the same habitats. No wonder they are angry.
“How can an area that is ‘protected' be open to industrialisation? Whilst they dangle the carrot of a few jobs, they overlook that they could actually cost jobs to local creel fishermen, scallop divers, tour boats and guides who sail, kayak and visit the area.”
He added “We have a very limited population and the problem is on an industrial scale. The fish farm isn't the worst polluter, but it is a contributor with things like big feed pipes, which we can't remove. It's an industry that is making hundreds of millions in revenue but it's not putting a lot of effort into tidying up. If it is going to double in size, then we're going to see double the rubbish.
“There's also the recreational aspect. A lot of us enjoy this area and it's good for our wellbeing. We don't want to basically look out at a factory.”
Ian Dobb, who is retired and a member of the local community group on Skye, is also concerned. “I became aware of proposals for farms on the east coast of the Trotternish peninsula and looked at these.
“The more I found out, the worse it looked – the chemicals used, the damage done to the coastal environment, the degradation and the killing off of everything on the seabed. It just became shocking.
“A lot of it is out of sight, out of mind. It became clear to me that by and large, the coastal communities didn't want these farms, but the norm is that they are ignored completely.
“They are the fly tippers of our coastal waters, degrading a national scenic area for short term profit. That's just totally unacceptable.”